Swing me, Mommy!!

This is a story about my sweet little Kate.  One day, last week, when the weather was just perfect, we were outside so she could play on the swing set.  I pushed her for a few minutes and then needed to run in the house for a second to grab something (I don't even remember what it was now).  As soon as I got inside, I heard Kate crying.  I ran back outside to check on her and she had fallen out of the swing!  She was laying on the ground crying so I ran to her, picked her up, gave her some love & started pushing her on the swing again, by her request.  Fast forward a few minutes.  I tried once again to go back into the house to get whatever it was that I needed.  The poor baby fell out of her swing again!  By this time I was feeling like a pretty bad mom since I was not watching her very good and she had fallen twice within 15 minutes.  I was also thinking that she must be a pretty clumsy child.

As I was pushing her again, I started wondering if she was really falling or just tricking me to get me to go back outside.  My Kate, be that deceitful?  No way!  Well, I thought I would test my theory.  I went back in the house and ran to look out the window to see what she did.  I WISH I had been videoing her!   As soon as I got inside, she ever-so-slowly lowered herself ever-so-carefully to the ground and then started her little fake (but real sounding) cry!!!  It really was funny to me and I had to call my Sis to share it with her, because she loves a good laugh in the middle of the day.  This is a picture of Kate after my discovery that she is a great actress!

A MUST Read!

Jeff and I went to Savannah for a few days because he had a business convention there.  More about our trip later, but for now I wanted to share with you the book I read will we were gone.  I haven't been reading many books lately because most of my reading time is devoted to blogs, but I thought I would like to have something for our 5 hour ride in the car.  I saw this book and immediately knew that I wanted to read it.  I am always fascinated with the life of a celebrity and when the Chapman's little girl was accidentally killed in their own driveway by their older son I was heartbroken for them.  Many times since that accident,  I have been inside my house with the kids playing outside and think "that could happen to one of my kids" then I go outside and check on them.

I was in tears from the very first sentence of the "In loving memory" page.  I was in tears reading the Prologue written by Beth Moore.  AND I hadn't even gotten to the 1st page of the book yet!  I started wondering "why in the world did I bring such a depressing book on my fun trip?"  Yes, parts of it are very sad.  BUT parts of it made me laugh out loud.  All of it made me realize how much I take for granted on a daily basis.  It encouraged me and inspired me to be a better mom.  It increased my faith that the Lord will  be with us during the darkest of days.  Check it out....it's worth the tears.

Brett's Trash to Treasure

Here is the other thing that Brett found that day over at Papa Frank's barn.  It was a very old wooden sign that had cobwebs and dirt all over it.  After a good washing, we spray painted it NC State Red.  When that was dry, I painted the letters white.   We are planning on putting this over the door of the kid's playhouse outside.  Can't wait to see what else Brett brings home from Papa Frank's house!

Add a touch of Fall....CHEAP!

I saw this on someone else's blog and thought "Why didn't I think of that?"  I already had the glass vase and candle.  All I had to do was add the leaves.  Who knew fake leaves from the Dollar Store could look so good?  I bought 2 bags, so this makeover cost me all of $2!

Pumpkin centerpiece

A good friend of mine gave me this beautiful cake stand filled with pumpkins for my birthday.  I LOVE the cake stand and can't wait to use it, but for now I am keeping this on my kitchen table as our centerpiece.  I think it is so cute and creative!

Mailbox Makeover

Reagan and Brett love to play "Mailman."  They have been using an old shoebox, but one day Brett found an old, rusty mailbox at Papa Frank's house in one of the old barns.  It looked terrible!  He brought it home and we sanded it then painted it NC State red.  I don't have a before picture, but here is the after.  The kids love playing with it.  They move it all around the house and yard leaving notes inside it  for each other.  

Cleaning Tips....

 Don't you just hate it when you want to use the jets in your tub and brown gunk shoots out?  I was looking everywhere for an answer and couldn't find one.   But thanks to my good friend Allison, who found this awesome cleaning tip, I can now use my jets.  I promise you this tip will work!

Q:  How do I clean my bathtub jets?

(article in Woman’s Day magazine)

A:  Fill tub with hot water to cover jets.

Add 2 cups of bleach and ½ cup of powdered dishwasher detergent.

Run jets for at least 20 minutes and then let sit for a few minutes. 

Drain water, then refill with cold water.  Turn on jets for several minutes and drain again. 

Q:  How do I remove hair spray residue from my bathroom walls/floors?

(article from Real Simple magazine)

A:  Mix together one part rubbing alcohol to two parts water with a drop or two of dishwashing liquid.  Shake the mixture in a spray bottle and lightly mist the affected area.  Let it sit for a minute, then spray again.  Wipe dry using a slightly damp cloth. 

*don’t use on flat paint because it may leave streaks.  

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

1 box yellow cake mix            1 large box instant chocolate pudding
4 large eggs                             1 (6 oz) package chocolate chips
3/4 cup water                           1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup crisco oil

Mix all ingredients together and blend thoroughly.  Add chocolate chips.  Pour in greased bundt pan and cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Heath Bar Cookies

These are one of my Dad's favorite cookies.  He found the recipe for me and he enjoys being my official taste tester.  They are super yummy AND super easy!

Heath Bar Cookies 
2 packages graham crackers                1 1/2 cups chopped pecan
1 stick butter                                        1/2 package chocolate almond bark
1/2 cup packed brown sugar            

Break graham cracker sheet in 2 or 4 pieces.  Fill bottom of large pan with crackers.  Melt butter with sugar and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.  Pour over crackers.  Spread evenly.  Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans on top.  Bake 11 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from pan immediately and place on waxed paper.  Melt chocolate and drizzle on each cookie.